G. L. Pease Ashbury

This is an interesting baccy even though I'm not a huge fan of Latakia. There's only enough Latakia in this to be spicy, a la Perique. In this case the spice is smokey however. The Virginias and the Orientals in this blend have the most to say, and they are really good orators. Especially at the beginning of the bowl, the Orientals take center stage, then the Virginias begin to come on toward the middle of the bowl. The Latakia tends to take over toward the end of the bowl. Given a little more experience with this blend, I think it could become a regular after-dinner smoke.

I tried a test run of some of Pease's offerings, searching for brighter, lighter, complexity. Ashbury is a very good blend, falling in what I consider to be the mild to medium weight class. For the guys, like myself who love the big bold english textures, do not be put off by the mild-medium rating, which I give. Ashbury is very flavorful, with notes of pecans, citrus, and applewood smoke. Awesome smoke for the hotter temperatures of the Georgia summer. I think of light amber to describe the "color" of the flavor nuances. I would buy this in bulk quantities if it had a smidgen of perique added. I add my own upon packing and ashbury hits sublime levels imo. I probably will buy it again, but I find that I like picadilly more. Pease kills me with his blend descriptions, sometimes his marketing just makes me burst out laughing, but here's the deal...he produces quality, consistent tobaccos. That means a great deal to me. If you're looking for a change of pace like I was, give it a try. Ashbury is a honest quality blend.